


On Bended Knee

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [55]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Jesse invites James to his grandfather's cabin for Christmas and goes on a walk to ask him an important question.
Relationships: Jesse/James (Walking Dead: Suffer The Children)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [55]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	On Bended Knee

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

The sun shone brightly upon the snow as James and Jesse headed out for a winter walk hand in hand. The world was quiet around them, completely blanketed in snow. Their footsteps broke the freshly fallen snow. Besides Jesse’s grandfather whose cabin they were staying at, there was no one nearby for miles. It was utter isolation and they loved it.

James looked over at his boyfriend with a smile. He’d felt unbelievably touched when Jesse had invited him to come and stay at the cabin for Christmas. Jesse’s grandfather was the only family he had left in the world and to be able to meet him felt like a big deal. James had arrived at the cabin with Jesse feeling extremely nervous about making a good first impression, but meeting Jesse’s grandfather in person soon set him at ease.

He was a calm man, steady with his actions and deliberate with his words. It was clear that he meant the world to Jesse. Every other minute Jesse was spouting off another thing that his grandfather had taught him and how all that he had learned being raised in these woods had prepared him to be the park ranger he was today. Jesse’s grandfather listened calmly, a soft smile on his face. It was clear he was proud of his grandson. With Jesse’s mother dead and his father never in the picture, the pair was bonded as closely as father and son.

Jesse’s grandfather had been kind and thoughtful in his questions toward James, asking of his family and his own work. James had felt a bit silly saying that his current work was in ASMR, but Jesse’s grandfather had listened with interest and respect. James had also caught him smiling when he saw that James and Jesse were holding hands. Jesse had mentioned that his grandfather knew everything about their relationship, but still, seeing it in person was comforting.

A soft pressure had James looking over Jesse’s way. “Penny for your thoughts?” his boyfriend asked softly.

“Oh, nothing special. Just… this has been nice,”

“It has been. I figured you would like it here. I feel centered when I come back, more than in any other place. It’s, well…”

“Home,” James finished.

Jesse nodded. “Does it feel the same for you when you go back to D.C.?”

James thought on that. “It’s always good to see my dad and I like revisiting some of my favorite spots from when I was young, but… it’s not the same as here. Cities change. This feels like it doesn’t,”

“It’s always been the same for as long as I’ve known it,” Jesse guided them closer to the treeline, walking alongside it as they continued. “Want to see something cool?”

James raised an eyebrow. “Yes...?”

Jesse smirked. “It’s nothing to worry about,” Pursing his lips, he let out a series of high-pitched tweets then paused, standing still. James stood silently beside him. A few seconds later, a series of similar tweets emerged from the forest. Jesse continued, letting out a variety of tweets and warbles. The sounds seemed to excite the forest’s denizens as louder tweets were heard nearby,”

“That’s amazing!” James exclaimed softly, looking at Jesse in disbelief.

“Took me a while to master those. I could teach you some of the simpler ones if you like,”

“Could… could I hear them again,”

“Of course. I’ll run through my whole collection,” With that Jesse continued the walk, repeating the tweets and warbles as he did. Once he was done with those, he diverged into another set of whistles then another.

James listened in wonder. Two years he’d been with Jesse and he was still discovering new things about him, still finding new things to admire and love. As they continued their stroll through the woods hand in hand, James felt as though his heart was melting in that ooey-gooey sense that always left him flustered and speechless. Not that he’d ever been a man of many words… but that was fine for both of them.

“Starlight and River seemed to really like you,” Jesse commented, a soft smile upon his face.

“You really think so?” Starlight and River were Jesse’s grandfather’s horses. River was an older horse while Starlight had been raised by Jesse since she was a foal. Jesse talked of them at length whenever the topic of horses came up which for him was a fairly frequent occurrence. After so much talk of them, meeting the pair of horses in person had been a somewhat surreal experience for James.

“Absolutely. After your last experiences with horses I was a bit worried you’d never go near them again,” Jesse teased. “But those two took to you like they’d known you forever,”

James blushed slightly at the memory Jesse’s teasing had recalled. They’d gone on a horseback riding date a few months back. James’ horse had gotten distracted by the prospect of meeting up with some mares down in the valley and had gone trotting off despite James’ frantic protests. Jesse had had to race after them to grab the horse’s bridle and set it on the right path. The whole experience had left James mortified but since then he’d been able to look back at the memory as at least a little bit funny.

“We’re here,” Jesse’s gaze was on a clearing ahead. James recognized it from Jesse’s stories. In the springtime the entire field was filled with wildflowers but at this time of year everything was perfectly white, the white snow glistening in contrast to the stark branches of the birch trees. The trunks of the trees themselves seemed to blend in with the snow surrounding them, their brown creases the only color breaking through the flaky white bark upon them.

“Your secret place,” James whispered softly, almost reverently.

“That’s right. I’m sure others have come across this particular spot before, but every time I’ve visited the clearing I’ve been completely alone. Well, every time till now,” Giving James’ hand a gentle squeeze, Jesse guided him out into the clearing.

James’ footsteps were cautious as he followed Jesse as though afraid that by marring the untouched snow, he would somehow desecrate this place. The sky above was a bright, clear blue, nary a cloud in the sky. Everything was serene as though nature itself had fallen into an eternal slumber. The only sound in the clearing was their footsteps, their boots crunching against the crust of the unbroken snow.

At last once they had reached the center of the clearing, Jesse stopped. “Take it all in. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It is,” James took in a deep breath, enjoying the brisk chill of the air entering his lungs as the rest of him was snugly wrapped in layer upon layer. “It’s magical,”

“It has been for me. And… I’m hoping it will continue to be,” Jesse’s voice had shifted, almost as though he had lowered himself to the ground. Turning around to check, James’ eyes widened when he saw that Jesse was in fact kneeling. Jesse smiled up at him. “Guess I caught you by surprise after all,”

James was speechless. He could feel his heart pounding within his chest. Was this really happening?

Jesse cleared his throat. “So I guess I’ll just jump into my speech. Cool? Cool. James… I never liked people very much. Didn’t see a need for them besides the few I already had. I planned to go off to school, get my bachelor’s and then find the most remote park to work as a ranger for so I never had to meet anyone ever again. But before I finished my plan, well, I met you. And you changed everything,”

“Jesse, I-” James bit his tongue at his own outburst, shaking his head. He was too flustered to remember what he’d intended to say anyway.

Jesse paused, making sure James was alright, then continued. “James, you make me want to be a human, whatever the hell that means. To care about things because you care so damn much. You’re the kindest, most thoughtful person I’ve ever met, and I learn things from you that I’d be too stubborn or selfish to learn any other way. I’m lucky you keep me around.” As Jesse looked up into James’ eyes, emotion welled within his own and he looked down at the ground.

“I’m not sure what your thoughts are on marriage. Probably should have found some sort of rhetorical way to bring that question up earlier when I seriously started considering this. But I guess whichever way you feel about it, I wanted to say my piece. I want to be with you James, not just this year or the next, but for the rest of our lives, till I’m just a pile of bones leaching into the earth. And whatever comes after this, I hope I find my way back to you. Because I never want to be without you. As cheesy as it might sound, you’re the missing part of me. The piece I never knew I needed till you were right in front of me. I love you, James, so…”

Jesse paused again, reaching into his coat pocket this time to rummage around. Pulling out a ring box, he opened it and plucked out the ring before holding it forth between his pointer and thumb. It was made of wood, an ashy maple with a line of sterling silver inlayed through the middle. “James Park, will you marry me?”

James was frozen. Body and mind completely crystallized in this moment. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even think except for one thought spiraling though his mind on repeat:  _ Say something. Say something. For the love of God, say something! _

“James?” Jesse looked up at his boyfriend in concern. “Baby?” He got to his feet, waving a hand in front of James’ face. “I was expecting a lot of things, but this… I need you to say something, anything. James?” Jesse’s hands came up the grip James’ shoulders.

The touch seemed to ground James, centering him enough for his mind to refocus on the reality in front of him. Jesse had just proposed. This was completely, utterly real. A smile alighted upon his face, growing bigger and bigger as he looked upon his love.

Jesse’s smile mirrored his own, growing with his. “There you are,”

“Jesse Fletcher,” James’ voice was soft, warm, bright. “Yes, I will marry you,”

“Yes!” Jesse crowed, throwing his head into the air and laughing. His arms came round James’ waist and he lifted the taller boy into the air, spinning him round in glee. “Yes, yes, yes! I knew you would say yes! I-” Jesse took James’ face in his hands and kissed him deeply. James’ hands instinctively came to rest upon Jesse’s waist, deepening the kiss further. All was still and beautiful and vibrant in that moment.

At last they pulled apart for air. Jesse’s eyes widened as he looked at his empty hands before his hands thrust into his pockets as his expression softened in relief. Pulling out the ring, he offered it once more. This time James’ hand came out to accept it. Taking his fiancée’s hand, Jesse gently slid the ring upon his finger. “Thank God it fits. I got one of those ring sizing things from the jewelry store and tried it on you while you were asleep a few weeks back. You said something in your sleep and almost scared the shit out of me,”

“What did I say?” James asked with curiosity.

“It was some sort of food. Bacon wrapped… something. I was so busy hiding the ring sizer in my pants I didn’t really hear it that well,”

“You’ve been planning this for weeks?”

“I’ve been considering it for months. Didn’t know when I’d get the courage to do anything about it though. Then winter rolled round, and I thought about how beautiful this place is this time of year and, well, I knew it had to happen here. Figured in a place as special as this some of that magic you mentioned would rub off and you might just say yes,”

“I would have said yes anywhere,” James murmured. “As long as it was you asking. But I’m glad it was here,”

Jesse grinned and leaned in for another kiss. “I’m glad too. Wouldn’t want it any other way,”

James could feel his cheeks flushing from warmth and excitement. He probably was as pink as a strawberry at this point. Taking Jesse’s hand, he glanced happily over at his fiancée. “So… what now?”

“What now? Shit, I didn’t plan this far. Should’ve come up with something fancy, huh? Ummm, uh…”

“We could walk a bit farther,” James offered. “Have some more time in the moment before we share the news,”

Jesse’s eyes softened at the thought. “Yeah. Let’s do that,” Guiding James forward, he began to walk with him out of the clearing and back into the woods. The pair walked hand in hand, smiling and stealing kisses as they walked in silence. The time for words and plans would come later. For now all they wanted was to be in this moment together.


End file.
